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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. craft — boats
  4. fine — all right
  5. key — the most important part
  6. craft — a skill
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. land — ground
  9. race — humankind
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spring — the season
  12. race — a contest
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — in music
  15. swing — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — of water
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — in golf
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com